


Family Matters

by Anyawen



Series: beekeeper q [10]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: Don't copy to another site, Established Relationship, Homophobia, M/M, Non-binary character, Off screen OC Death, Surprise Family, Teen Pregnancy, Trans Character, Transphobia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:21:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25083802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anyawen/pseuds/Anyawen
Summary: When a very pregnant teenager arrives at MI6 asking for James Bond, more than a few eyebrows are raised. The truth of the teen’s situation leaves Bond and Q scrambling to make plans for a family they didn’t expect, but won’t let down.
Relationships: James Bond/Q, james bond/kissy suzuki (past)
Series: beekeeper q [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1810954
Comments: 24
Kudos: 64





	Family Matters

**Author's Note:**

> Fills a 2017 anon prompt ‘James discovers that he has a grown child (no surprise really), but also that he's a grandfather (Craig!Bond is pushing 50, it's possible).’ and a 2019 prompt 'A fic featuring a conversation in a language other than English. You can do it however you like, whether it is Bond in the field, Q talking to his counterpart at another agency, or characters practicing their foreign language skills, etc.' Posted on Trans day.
> 
> Life is hard, and shit happens. This is fic, and although transphobia and homophobia are present, so also are the coincidences necessary to put people and resources in the right place at the right time to help. There will still be challenges to overcome, but compassion and care will triumph over hate. 
> 
> The underage encounter occurs between consenting teenagers.
> 
> This is unbeta'd. I hope I've done well by the trans community - who are many and varied and experience varying levels of dysphoria, - and Japanese culture. Errors are my own, constructive criticism welcomed via tumblr chat message - you'll find me there under the same username.

“The name she gave doesn’t match her documentation. What else is she lying about? God I hope she’s lying about James. I’d never have thought he’d—”

“She hasn’t said a word since she asked for Bond. She’s a minor, so we need to tread carefully. Matsuda will be back from Whitehall soon, and he’ll facilitate the conversation—”

“All right, that’s enough.”

Q didn’t raise his voice, but Mallory and Moneypenny both fell silent in the wake of his words.

“I’m sure you’re aware that James is rather generously endowed, given he has no shame and is frequently on camera during certain of his assignments. If you require reports on the skill with which he uses his long and delightfully thick cock, I am happy to provide first hand accounts in great detail. But as marvelous as he is with it, it is not magic, and he is not in possession of teleportation technology - if only because I’ve not invented it yet.”

A glance at the teen sat hunched and miserable on the other side of the conference table - their oversized hoodie doing nothing to conceal their late-stage pregnancy - showed a hint of pink across their cheeks. The tips of their ears, visible through their short-cropped hair, were bright red. Clearly they understood English enough to be embarrassed by his crude words, so the reason for their continued silence was less to do with language than with the content of their message. Or the intended recipient.

“Q—”

“Don’t ‘Q’ me in that tone of voice,” Q retorted, returning his attention to his boss and his best friend. He scrubbed a hand over his face before glaring at Mallory and Eve. “I realize you’re trying to protect me, but if you’ll recall, James and I spent six weeks at Skyfall late last summer. Maikeru-san is obviously near full term. Consult a calendar and do the bloody math.”

“She asked for James—”

“That is hardly proof of paternity,” Q replied, fighting for calm. “And stop referring to them as ‘she’.”

Eve looked startled, but Mallory was immediately contrite.

“I apologize, Maikeru-san,” he said to the teenager hunched in a chair on the other side of the table. “No offense was intended. I should not have assumed.”

The teen glanced up, looking quickly between Mallory and Q before nodding and ducking their head back down.

“How do you know?” Eve asked quietly, flashing a speculative glance at Maikeru.

“I don’t know, I notice. I have a sibling who is genderfluid, so I recognize the signs when someone is uncomfortable with assumed pronouns. Just look beyond the obvious and it’s clear that Maikeru-san flinches each time you use feminine terms,” Q replied. “I refuse to make an uncomfortable situation worse for them by using words that clearly hurt.”

Mallory sighed heavily.

“Right. Well. They clearly understand English then. I guess we don’t need to wait for Matsuda to get to the bottom of this,” he said, turning toward the teen and drawing in a breath to speak.

Q watched them hunch back even further into their seat and stepped closer, catching Mallory’s eye and drawing attention away from the teen.

“Maikeru-san clearly has no interest in speaking with anyone other than James. We’re lucky that he’s just finished his last assignment and is due back today. In fact,” Q said, looking at his watch, “his flight got in an hour ago, so if he’s jumped the customs queue and grabbed a taxi as is his habit - ah. Right on time,” Q continued, looking out the conference room window.

A moment later the door opened and Bond stepped into the room. He took in the tense atmosphere of the room and looked to Q for guidance.

“Q? I went to Q-branch to turn in my gear and R gave me the stink eye and sent me here. Said I had a lot of explaining to do?”

“Another one who can’t read a calendar,” Q groaned. “She, and perhaps a few others, are under the impression that you are responsible for this,” Q said, gesturing at Maikeru as the teen studied the new arrival.

James took in the teen’s appearance and obvious pregnancy and turned a baleful eye on Mallory and Moneypenny.

“I do not sleep with children,” he said with a mildness that fooled no one.

“I am not a child,” Maikeru said in clear, accented English. “You are James Bond?”

“Maikeru-san, James Bond. James, this is Maikeru Inoue,” Q said. “They came here today asking for you and haven’t said a word since. Some people jumped to conclusions.”

James shot a look at Q, who was glaring at Mallory and Eve who were wearing matching rueful expressions. He looked at Maikeru and took in the teen’s posture, shoulders hunched around their swollen belly, head up and watching him carefully.

" _Maikeru-san. James Bond desu. Boku wo sagashite imashita ka_?" he said.

" _Suzuki Kissy-san wa anata wo mitsukeru yō ni itta_ ," the teen replied.

“ _Kissy Suzuki_?” James asked, obviously surprised, and glanced over at Q before returning his attention to Maikeru. “ _Kanojo no koto o dono yō ni shitte imasu ka_?”

" _Kanojo wa watashi no ko no sobo desu. Kanojo wa anata ga sofu dearu to iimasu_."

“I’m—” James said, sitting rather heavily on the edge of the table.

“What did she say?” Mallory asked Bond. “Who is Kissy Suzuki?”

“Someone James met in Japan, back when he was in the Navy,” Q answered.

“She is the grandmother of my child,” Maikeru said softly. “She told me to find James Bond.”

“Why?” Eve asked.

“Because she was sick and could not help with the baby.”

"Yes, but why him?" she pressed.

“Maikeru," Q interrupted, shooting a quelling look at Eve. "Where is the baby’s father?” he asked gently.

“He had a reaction to a hornet sting. He couldn’t breathe. He died,” Maikeru replied, voice hitching slightly. “His name was Jemuzu -James- after his father.”

The room was silent for a minute, the Q cleared his throat.

“As this is clearly a family matter and not MI6 business, I think the two of you can see yourselves out. Perhaps you can do something to stop the rumors of James engaging in paedophelia.”

“Surely you will want to verify—”

“Yes,” Q answered. “Which can be done privately, without the involvement of MI6. Thank you for your concern.”

Q watched as Mallory stood. When family business impacted an agent’s ability to do their job, it became his problem. This situation, though troubling, had not yet proved to be a problem, and Mallory was clearly happy to let Bond handle it on his own.

Eve wasn’t bristling at the obvious dismissal, but she wasn’t moving either. He sighed, knowing that her reluctance was borne of worry.

“We’ll share what’s appropriate,” he said. “And we’ll ask for help if we need it.”

Eve pursed her lips unhappily, but nodded and followed Mallory out of the room. Q closed the door behind them and moved to stand beside James.

“Are you okay?” he asked, reaching out to lay a hand on James’ shoulder.

“I’ve no idea,” James replied.

“Let me know when you figure it out,” Q said, stroking down James’ arm to wrap long fingers around his wrist. He turned to the teenager who was watching them with wide, curious eyes. “Can I get you anything, Maikeru-san? Water? Tea? A sandwich?”

“No, thank you, the teen replied. “You are Q-san? That is a letter, is it not? You do not have a name?”

“My birth name is much like yours - best forgotten. Please, call me Q.”

James looked up at that, glancing between Q and Maikeru.

“Birth name?”

“The name on their passport is Saya, but their preferred name is Maikeru,” Q explained before turning to the teen. “Maikeru-san, what are your preferred pronouns?”

“I … I can be he? That is permitted?”

“It is.”

“Even …” Maikeru gestured to their belly.

“Yes, even then.”

“That, then. I am he. Thank you, Q-san.”

“Of course,” Q replied. “James? Shall we continue this conversation at home? After dinner? Or tomorrow, even? Maikeru-san has had an even longer day than you and probably needs his rest.”

“Home sounds fantastic,” James said with a smile. “But I’ve got tech to turn in, and a debriefing to attend. After action reports … someone is always on my case to get those finished up.”

“Give your tech to Tanner,” Q said, catching movement out the conference room window and seeing the chief of staff approach with Matsuda in tow. “He can take it to R. The rest can wait until tomorrow.”

“If you say so, Quartermaster,” James replied, standing and crossing to the door. “Maikeru-san, do you have preferences for dinner? Sushi? Ramen? Italian? Greek?”

“I am going home with you?”

“Do you have other options? Do you _prefer_ other options?" Q asked. "We can arrange something, but we have a guest room, and you are here to see James.”

“You are together?”

“Q is my husband,” James answered, flashing a smile at the Quartermaster before turning to step into the hall to speak with Tanner and Matsuda.

“If you’d like to call Suzuki-san before we go,” Q began, then looked at his watch. “Or perhaps not. Best not to wake her at 2 in the morning. We can put you up in a hotel tonight, if you prefer. Or we can arrange for you to stay with a woman, or for a woman to come stay with us at home, if staying with two strange men is too much.”

Maikeru studied Q as he thought over Q’s words.

“I am frightened, but not of you. Not of Bond-san. He is a stranger, but almost family. You are his family.”

“I can only imagine what this has all been like for you, and I only know part of your story,” Q said. “You are very brave, and you are safe with us. You are welcome in our home while we figure out what is going on, and what you need. We can talk over dinner, or you can just eat and go to bed and we can talk and call Suzuki-san in the morning - you must be exhausted.”

Maikeru smiled at this, nodding tiredly.

“Thank you, Q-san. You are very kind.”

“Come on, then, let’s go collect James, get dinner, and go home.”

“My things, Q-san. Can we get them? Kissy-san sent things for James.”

“Eve probably has your passport and phone, and any other documents you had when you arrived. Your bag is probably downstairs with security,” Q said with a nod. “We can get them on the way out.”

Q rose and offered a hand to Maikeru, but he shook his head and rose unassisted. Q opened the door to exit the conference room just as James approached it.

“Eve gave me these when I gave her a piece of my mind,” he said, holding a phone and passport to Maikeru.

“How did that go?” Q asked.

“No blood was shed,” James replied with a feral smile before he glanced back to Maikeru. “Have you thought about dinner?”

“Only, nothing spicy,” Maikeru replied. “Muneyake is not pleasant.”

“Muneyake?” Q repeated curiously.

“Heartburn,” James answered. “All right, let’s go. Q, call Angelo’s? We can pick it up on our way.”

They collected Maikeru’s bag from security and exited into the MI6 garage. Q called in their order while Bond drove.

Maikeru was clearly exhausted by the time they arrived at the flat, so after quick introductions to the cats, Nettle and Briar, they sat down to dinner, and kept the conversation to the most important details.

He was 17, trans, pregnant, and due in approximately two weeks. The baby’s father, Jemuzu, had died of anaphylaxis after a hornet sting. Jemuzu’s mother, Kissy Suzuki, was living in a hospice with terminal cancer.

Before Maikeru said his goodnights and excused himself to the guest room, he opened his bag and handed James a photo album. After James had flipped through a couple of pages he came and sat with Q and they looked through it together.

“Well,” Q mused with a small smile. “He had your ears.”

“Poor kid,” James replied with a chuckle, then sobered and continued. “I always knew a child was a possibility. As careful as I’ve been, there might still be some woman showing up with a toddler in tow and leaving them on my doorstep. With the number of honeypot missions I’ve done, and the women I’ve slept with off the job over the years, I guess I’m surprised that it hasn’t happened before. But I never imagined it would be this.”

“No?”

“I never imagined a teenager. And then I didn’t even get to meet him. I wonder why she didn’t tell me.”

“I’m sure she had her reasons,” Q replied, turning pages in the album, unable not to grin back at the images of the smiling little boy. “We’ll talk with her soon.”

“Hmmm,” James agreed. “You know,” he mused, “they say a sailor has a girl in every port, but it wasn’t like that. We were usually at sea, and shore leave when we were at a port was often just a couple hours long. It was easier to find partners among ourselves, or do without. Kissy was an anomaly.”

“You told me about her.”

“Did I?”

“You know you did. During our very serious talk about previous relationships and risky behaviors, right before our other very serious talk about how our relationship was perhaps a bit more than just shagging each other brainless.”

“Is that the talk where you told me you were a slag in uni?”

“The very one.”

“No surprise children likely for you, though.”

“I haven’t got pregnant yet, so I’m going to say no,” Q replied with a snort.

“You realize that Kissy means him to stay here. With me. With us.”

“I had worked that out, yes.”

“You don’t seem troubled by the prospect.”

“I’m not,” Q said. “I think there are large logistical obstacles to consider, but before we attack those you need to talk to Kissy. And regardless of what she has to say, whether or not Jemuzu was your son and Maikeru’s baby is your grandchild, in the short run, he is a pregnant teenager on his own far from home. We can help make the situation less overwhelming while we verify the details, and we’ll figure out what to do in the long run when we’re in possession of all the information.”

“I love it when you’re practical.”

“Yes, well, my practical nature now dictates that we put away dinner and go to bed. You’ve had a long day followed by a big shock, and there are conversations to be had tomorrow.”

“I’m not sure I can sleep.”

“Try,” Q said, standing and collecting the dishes to take to the sink while James rose and began closing takeaway boxes to put the leftovers in the fridge.

Bond did try, but Q wasn’t surprised to feel him slide out of bed in the wee hours of the morning. He heard the office door close, followed by muffled sounds of Japanese coming through the wall. He glanced at the clock and did the quick math.

It was approaching nine in the morning in Japan. James must be calling the hospice to speak with Kissy. 

Q listened for a minute, not to try to make out what James was saying - he wouldn’t understand the Japanese anyway - but to see if he could hear any other noises in the flat that might indicate Maikeru was awake. He’d had a long day, and his pregnancy must be draining, but jet lag made getting a good night’s sleep after crossing time zones unpredictable.

The flat was quiet beyond the indistinct sounds of James’ conversation in the office, and Q dozed off again.

James slid back into bed just over an hour later and pulled Q close, raising soft mews of discontent from the displaced cats.

“All right?” Q asked sleepily.

“Yeah, I’m okay.”

Q turned in James’ arms and tucked his head against James’ chest.

“Tell me?”

“She wasn’t sure I’d want to know, and she didn’t think I’d be in a position to help even if I did. I was a sailor. Career naval man, I thought at the time, with no plans for a family,” James said, speaking quietly. “And she’s right, after a fashion. I could have sent money, but I couldn’t have been there for her or Jemuzu. Not without going AWOL.”

“I suppose I can see her point.”

“I do, too, though it doesn’t make me happy. I don’t know how I would have reacted then. We’d had a fun three weeks together, but I wasn’t looking for anything permanent. I’d like to think that even if I had no plans to continue our relationship, I wouldn’t have left her to raise our child without support. I might have arranged for her to come to Scotland, live up at Skyfall with Kincade. Wasn’t a bad place to grow up, before …” James trailed off.

“Hmmm.”

“What?”

“Oh, just something you said gave me an idea to be investigated later,” Q murmured. “She had more to say?”

“Only that there was one time when she almost got in touch. Jemuzu was six. They were living in Shima, on the coast a couple hours from Kyoto. Her cousin, Aki, was working in Tokyo with Tiger Tanaka, the head of the Japanese secret service. He assigned her to assist me with a mission there. She told Kissy about working with me. That’s how she learned I wasn’t in the Navy any more.”

“But your job with MI6 wasn’t any friendlier to the idea of family,” Q surmised.

“So she didn’t try to contact me. Said they were doing well enough, and were happy. I hope that they were.”

“And Maikeru? What did Kissy say about him?”

“His family is transphobic and homophobic. They were originally quite pleased when he started dating Jemuzu because they thought he was a nice straight boy, so Maikeru must have given up on the notion of being male,” James said. “Turns out, Jemuzu was a nice boy, but not straight, and he had no issues dating a transman.”

“They kicked him out?”

“They did. Decided that since they weren’t going to be able to shoehorn him into a female role they weren’t going to provide him with a home or support of any kind. He lived on the streets for a month before he told Jemuzu, who insisted on bringing him home to live with him and Kissy. That was about a year ago.”

“I hate people,” Q grumped.

“You don’t hate me,” James replied. “I’m people.”

“No. You’re a person. I like persons. Some persons. Maybe even you,” Q said, glancing up with a quick smile before sobering. “I hate people. People do homophobic, transphobic, racist, misogynist things. I don’t like them at all.”

“You’re thinking of Linden.”

“I am. But of me, too. Growing up gay wasn’t a picnic, but at least Linden and I had a supportive family. Maikeru didn’t, though he was lucky enough to find a partner and a parental figure who could take him in.”

“Kissy got sick about seven months ago, just a few weeks after they discovered Maikeru's pregnancy. Advanced pancreatic cancer. She said she only hoped to live long enough to meet the baby,” James said, sighing heavily. “They were coming back from an appointment with Kissy’s oncologist and stopped for ice cream from a street vendor. Jemuzu was wearing sandals and somehow a hornet was trapped under his toe in his shoe. He was dead less than forty minutes later.”

Q slipped his hands around James and hugged him hard. James hadn’t known his son, but his loss still cut deeply.

“He was nineteen years old,” James said, breathing raggedly into Q’s hair.

“They were good years,” Q said soothingly, hoping he was right. “Try to get some sleep, love. We’ll deal with it in the morning.”

Q felt James nod, then the body next to him shifted over onto his back, pulling Q along to drape over his chest.

“I told Kissy that Maikeru would call later today,” James murmured, stroking a hand lightly down Q’s back.

“I expected as much. Sleep now. I’ll make you eggs in the morning.”

James hummed a quiet response.

Q awoke the next morning to the sound of running water in the kitchen. James stirred, but Q soothed him back to sleep and slipped out of the bed. He heard Nettle leap off the bed and pad along behind him, and knew that Briar had moved to sleep curled around James’ head. He smiled as he opened the bedroom door for Nettle to slip out.

He found Maikeru, dressed in the same things he’d been wearing yesterday, sitting at the kitchen table with a portable easel, a tray of solid watercolor cakes, a cup of water, and an array of brushes. The stiff sheet of paper on the easel showed the view out the kitchen window. The flat was on the second floor, overlooking Paddington Old Cemetery. MI6 had moved Q here when he’d been promoted to Quartermaster. He’d liked the quiet, but wondered how it must seem now to Maikeru.

“You paint very well,” he said in greeting. “Can I get you some tea? Coffee? Can you have coffee? I’m sorry - I’ve not dealt with many pregnant people before.”

“I can have coffee, but I don’t like it much,” Maikeru replied, wrinkling his nose in distaste. “I would like tea, please. Thank you, Q-san.”

“I don’t like it much either, though occasionally the caffeine is useful,” Q replied, filling the kettle and flipping it on. “James is the coffee drinker of the household. If he didn’t enjoy fine dining so much I think he’d be happy with coffee and scrambled eggs three meals a day for the rest of his life.”

“Kissy-san said this, too,” Maikeru laughed. “Every morning for breakfast, Bond-san has eggs.”

“Hasn’t changed at all,” Q said, smiling as he started the coffee maker. “I’m making eggs now, if you’d like some?”

“Yes, please Q-san.”

Q turned to the fridge to pull out a carton of eggs. He could hear Maikeru shifting behind him.

“How long have you and Bond-san been married, Q-san?” he asked.

“We’ve been together for two years, and married since last August. The trip to Skyfall that I mentioned yesterday was our honeymoon. We were there for six weeks, finishing up the cottage.”

“How does one finish a cottage?”

“It was being constructed from stones salvaged from a building that used to be there. We went up to check on progress, and so that I could do the wiring, then the contractor closed up the walls and we painted and furnished and decorated the place,” Q said, cracking eggs into a bowl and whisking them while butter melted in the pan on the stove. “If you look in that cabinet right there, just above the kettle, you can choose which type of tea you’d like. We’ve got black, green, jasmine, earl grey—”

“If you keep listing all the types of tea you have you’ll be talking until dinner,” James said from the hallway.

“Good morning, Bond-san,” Maikeru said, looking over his shoulder to smile a greeting as he stood in front of the open cabinet.

“Good morning, Maikeru-san. Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, Bond-san, thank you. When I woke, I painted.”

“I saw that. You’re very good.”

“Thank you, Bond-san.”

“You’re welcome,” James replied. “After breakfast we can call Kissy and you can let her know you arrived all right, and that you found me. I have to go in to the office for a bit after that to report on the results of my business trip and turn in some paperwork.”

“Okay, yes. Thank you.”

“I’ve got a couple phone calls to make while you speak with Kissy,” Q said as he stirred the eggs in the pan. “I’ll arrange to take the day off, perhaps more.”

Q caught James’ gaze and smiled.

“It’s a quiet week. I’d been planning to work on the new Jag, but there’s no rush. R can handle things for a day or two, or longer, if need be. HR and Payroll will be thrilled.”

“I am sorry to burden you,” Maikeru said softly, putting a tin of tea on the counter.

“You are unexpected, and complicated,” James replied, “but you are not a burden.”

“Definitely not,” Q agreed, then nudged an 8-cup French press in Maikeru’s direction. “Two heaping teaspoons of tea leaves in there, if you please. James? The plates.”

Q bustled about the kitchen, preparing the tea, pouring the coffee, and plating the eggs. Maikeru cleared his paints and easel off of the table and they sat down to breakfast. After they finished James took Maikeru into the office to call Kissy. Q abandoned the plates in the sink and picked up his phone.

His first call was to R, who apologized for her assumptions the day before, and assured him that she had things under control before transferring him to Tanner so he could put in an official request for the rest of the week off.

“Might be for longer, Bill,” Q said. “Or it might be half time for a couple weeks. Maikeru is due on the 20th.”

“It’s true, then? The baby is Bond’s grandchild?”

“I think we’re as sure as we can be short of DNA,” Q replied. “I don’t know yet what support Maikeru needs or wants from us - we are total strangers, and also the only family he has.”

“We’ll call in an emergency, of course, but take the time you need. You’ve got more holiday hours on the books that the rest of Q-branch combined.”

Q thanked him and rang off, then scrolled his contacts and hit the button on the screen to connect the call.

Half an hour later he had the information he needed but was only allowed to disconnect after swearing to call back with additional details by the weekend.

He made one more call and arranged an appointment for later that afternoon, then showered and got dressed.

Q was back out in the kitchen, pouring himself another cup of tea when James and Maikeru emerged. James disappeared into the bedroom to get ready to run in to the office, and Maikeru drifted in to sit at the kitchen table.

“How is Kissy?” he asked, pouring a second cup.

“Not well,” Maikeru replied.

“How are you?” he asked, putting the cup down in front of Maikeru and sitting across the table.

“Also not well,” Maikeru answered with a wavering smile. “I am sad, Q-san.”

“I’m so sorry Maikeru.”

Maikeru nodded and wrapped both hands around the mug of tea. 

“I realize this is delicate, but I don’t think we have time to wait,” Q began apologetically. “My sister recommended a midwife. She has an opening this afternoon. I can take you to see her, unless you prefer to have James take you? He should be done with his reports by then."

Maikeru cocked his head.

"Your sister?"

"My older sister, yes."

"You also have a genderfluid sibling?"

"Linden, yes. And two sisters, older and younger, and a younger brother."

"I have two younger brothers. My parents will not let me speak to them."

"Their reaction speaks only about them, not about you,” Q replied. 

Maikeru didn’t respond. Q sighed.

“We’ll both take you to see the midwife this afternoon.”

Maikeru nodded, then after a minute he pushed himself up from the chair, pausing for a minute to rest a hand on his belly, then disappeared into the guest room. When he reappeared a moment later he had a sketchbook and a box of pencils. He looked up twenty minutes later to say goodbye to James before the agent left to go to MI6, then returned to his art.

Q brought a laptop - not a secure work laptop, but one that still had more layers of security than anything available to the public - and sat with Maikeru at the kitchen table, not interrupting the quiet pursuit. He wrote a quick note to his older sister, and then began writing a longer letter to Linden.

He looked up when Maikeru groaned softly.

“Maikeru?”

The teen gave a rueful smile.

“I sat too long, then stretched. It made my belly grab,” he said, making a clawing motion in front of his belly.

“Contractions?” Q asked, startled. He knew that labor didn’t happen as it was usually portrayed in the media - coming on more gradually than was depicted - but he also knew that with just under two weeks to go, Maikeru was technically full term, and babies came when they were ready. After the stresses of Maikeru’s last few days - and last few weeks - Q wouldn’t be surprised if he went into labor ‘early’. He just hadn’t really considered that ‘early’ could be ‘now’.

“Yes, but not?” Maikeru replied. “False labor?”

“Ah, okay,” Q said, feeling his heart rate slow from its gallop. “Why don’t you go get changed and we can go out for lunch and then meet James to go to the midwife appointment?”

“I cannot get changed, Q-san.”

“You brought a bag, did it not contain other clothes?”

“Underthings. Toiletries. The rest, the photo book, and paints and brushes. I have another bag. At the airport."

"Heathrow? At left luggage?"

"Yes. There are more clothes there."

"And more art supplies?" Q asked with an amused smile.

"More brushes," Maikeru admitted. “I did not have much room, so I only packed the clothes that fit, and things for art.”

“Well,” Q said, shaking his head, “you know your priorities.”

He looked at his watch and sent off a quick text.

“I’ve asked James to meet us at the midwife’s office at three. That gives us time to grab lunch and go collect your bag from Heathrow. Any preferences for lunch?”

“Ramen and pineapple.”

“That’s ... unexpected,” Q laughed. 

“I don’t like it, but I _want_ it,” Maikeru said, wrinkling his nose.

“All right, well, I know of a good ramen shop. I don’t know if they have pineapple, but there’s a fresh market nearby. We can probably put something together. Get yourself ready while I call for a car.”

Maikeru tidied his art supplies and pushed himself out of his seat, taking his empty mug over to rinse out in the sink. Twenty minutes later Q locked the door and led Maikeru through the gate at the end of the street to meet the waiting car.

The ramen shop didn’t bat an eye at the request and provided Maikeru with a large bowl of ‘Hawaiian’ ramen, which he ate with enthusiasm while also looking mildly offput by his meal.

They retrieved Maikeru’s bag from the left luggage facility and were outside the midwife’s office forty minutes before they were expected. Q suggested a walk in the nearby Ravenscourt park to pass the time. 

“I wish I had my paints with me,” Maikeru said, pausing on the path.

He was looking speculatively at a bare tree, the first hints of spring showing at the tips of its branches.

“It will be prettier when it blooms.”

“Blossoms give the trees a different kind of beauty, but I also like seeing the structure of the branches.”

“You sound like my dad. He’s an arborist. A tree specialist,” Q explained. “He’s always talking about trees and shape and form and structure. Mom, too, about other plants as well.”

“Is she an artist?”

“A botanist. My whole family works with plants. Juniper is probably the most artistic of them. She’s my older sister. Eldest of us, actually. She’s a florist.”

“You spoke to her this morning?”

“I did, yes,” Q replied. “She recommended the midwife. Saw her for all her prenatal care for her daughter.”

He looked again at the tree, trying to see it with an artist’s eye. There was an interesting in the contrast of the bare branches and the scales ready to crack open with the year’s first blossoms and leaves. There was a compelling dichotomy of stillness and energy in it. He didn’t have the first clue how to capture that in pigment and ink.

“We can come back again, with your paints, if you like. Or find other parks. Even the cemetery behind the flat has lovely landscaping.”

“I would like that, Q-san. If there is time for painting, yes, I would like that very much.”

Q nodded and turned them to wander back in the direction of the midwife’s office. Maikeru was right - his time was about to be consumed by an infant, and Q’s and James’ time right along with it. There were a lot of conversations still to be had


End file.
